Vladimir Putin is officially backas (chính thức trở lại là) Russian President. The election commission (ủy ban bầu cử) announced that Putin had secured (nắm chắc; giành được) nearly 64 percent of the popular vote (phiếu bầu phổ thông . His closest opponent from the communist party won just 17 percent. Some congratulated the president on his new post and said the latest elections were fair and transparent (minh bạch). But not everyone was as happy with the news.

In eastern Russia, voters accuse the president of buying his office. Analysts say that Putin could continue to face (phải đối mặt; đương đầu với) a stronger opposition as anti-government protests that began last year grow. Many see the ruling United Russia Party as an obstacle to modernization and economic growth. However, the strong win will likely give the government much-needed legitimacy (tính chính đáng rất cần thiết) for the time being (trong lúc này). Election observers (các quan sát viên bầu cử) are set to (chuẩn bị) make their initial report on violations Monday afternoon.